Nonprofit Computer Discounts: Dell, HP, Lenovo, Apple and Refurbished

The big computer makers mostly do not sell to nonprofits at a discount on their own websites. Dell, HP and Lenovo route their nonprofit pricing through TechSoup, which removed its admin fees on all three this year. Apple has no nonprofit discount at all. And for most small charities, a refurbished business laptop costs a fraction of any discounted new one. We read each manufacturer’s and program’s own pages on 10 November 2026. Prices are in US dollars.

The offers at a glance

TechSoup’s hardware page says “We’ve removed the admin fees on our Dell, HP, and Lenovo discount programs”, that the offers “are open to all validated TechSoup member organizations”, and that “Joining us is free.” For each, you request the offer through TechSoup, then buy from the manufacturer at the discounted price and pay the manufacturer directly. Eligibility on the Dell and HP listings is 501(c)(3) nonprofits and public libraries, with organizations in US territories excluded.

Dell

Dell’s own nonprofit-looking page lists programs for students, military, employees and seniors, but no nonprofit tier. The nonprofit route is TechSoup’s Dell Technologies offer, which “provides coupons for the Dell Technologies catalog, remote computer setup assistance, and an assigned Dell Technologies adviser.” TechSoup’s Dell page says “You’ll save up to 10 percent” and that you can “stack your nonprofit discount with existing promotional pricing”, which is where most of the saving usually comes from.

Staff and volunteers can buy through the program for themselves, but without the setup help. Recipients must be willing to provide information for a Dell case study or testimonial, and may not resell. Ten percent is the smallest of the three manufacturer offers, so compare the final Dell price against HP and Lenovo before buying.

HP

HP’s own membership programs cover education, frontline workers and businesses, not nonprofits. TechSoup’s HP.com Nonprofit Store listing describes “discounts of up to 40% on desktops, laptops, printers and supplies, installation services, and extended service plans.” TechSoup’s own support article gives higher figures, up to 68% off commercial desktops, laptops and workstations, up to 50% off accessories and only up to 5% off printers and ink, and says discounts may be combined with HP promotions. Budget on the listing’s 40% and treat anything more as a bonus.

Two catches. The store is for HP Inc., not Hewlett Packard Enterprise. And California organizations pay the state’s electronic waste recycling fee on each laptop.

Lenovo

Lenovo’s business membership is open to any business, not designed for nonprofits. TechSoup’s Lenovo offer lets you “save up to 25 percent on Lenovo products purchased for your organization”, includes free expedited two-day shipping, and lets “Employees of your organization and their friends and family” buy too. That staff benefit is unusual and worth telling your team about.

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft’s nonprofit Surface page offers “Save up to 8% on select Surface devices”, with the discount varying by product and market, and “Discounts of up to 40% off original retail price” on select refurbished Surface devices in the United States and Canada. You register through Microsoft’s nonprofit program, the same one that gives eligible charities Microsoft 365 free or discounted.

Apple

Apple has no nonprofit discount. What it does have is a process for tax-exempt purchases. Its payments help page says that to order on behalf of a tax-exempt organization you “call an Apple Store Specialist at 1-800-MY-APPLE”, that “Federal tax exemption certificates are not applicable”, and that for corporate tax-exempt purchases only corporate-issued credit cards for that organization are accepted. You need your state sales tax exemption certificate, not your IRS determination letter, and the name on the order must match it. Our sales tax exemption guide covers which states issue one.

Apple’s certified refurbished store, open to anyone, offers “savings up to 15%” with a one-year warranty. For iPads, TechSoup’s refurbished catalog is the nonprofit-specific route.

Refurbished: usually the better deal

For ordinary office work, a refurbished business laptop does the job at a fraction of a new one’s price. TechSoup’s refurbished catalog lists recent business models from Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft for an admin fee, with a two-year warranty on computers.

Those are TechSoup’s listed admin fees on 10 November 2026; stock changes often. The product terms say the make and model pictured may not be the one you receive, a monitor is not included, orders ship within 10 business days, and setup is an optional $59 extra. Recipients agree to Microsoft’s registered refurbisher terms when the device first starts, and may not pass devices to individuals or resell them.

Other refurbishers sell to nonprofits too. PCs for People, itself a nonprofit, asks for documentation of 501(c)(3) status and allows up to five computers in an online order, with larger orders arranged directly; its store listed business laptops from about $125 to $245 when we checked. Human-I-T offers a free nonprofit membership to 501(c)(3)s, with verification by IRS letter and a leader’s photo ID. Federal surplus property is another route for some organizations: the GSA’s donation program works through state surplus agencies, which decide eligibility for nonprofit educational and public health organizations and programs for older people.

A worked example: five laptops

Take a charity replacing five staff laptops. New business laptops from a manufacturer store, even at 25% or 40% off, typically run to several thousand dollars for five. TechSoup’s bundle of five refurbished Dell Latitude 5490s was listed at $1,695 in admin fees, about $339 each, with a two-year warranty. PCs for People’s lowest-priced business laptop was $125. For staff who use email, documents and a browser, refurbished is the sensible default; buy new, with a nonprofit discount, for the few roles that need more power or a longer life, such as video editing or design with Adobe’s tools.

Whatever you buy, budget for the full cost of ownership in the budget: a monitor, a dock, setup time and a replacement cycle of four to five years for laptops is a common planning assumption, not a rule.

Which route for which need

Ordinary office laptops and desktops. Start with TechSoup’s refurbished catalog or PCs for People. A two-year warranty on a recent business model covers most of a laptop’s useful life for email, documents and video calls.

A specific new model, or several identical machines. Use the manufacturer offers through TechSoup. Price the same specification at HP, Lenovo and Dell, since their discounts differ widely, and check each maker’s current promotions, which Dell and HP say can be combined with the nonprofit price.

Macs and iPads. There is no nonprofit discount, so the choice is between Apple’s certified refurbished store, TechSoup’s refurbished iPads, and new devices bought without sales tax by phone with your state certificate.

Staff who want a device of their own. Lenovo’s TechSoup offer lets employees, friends and family buy at the nonprofit price, and Dell’s lets staff and volunteers buy without the setup help. It costs the charity nothing and is a small staff benefit worth mentioning in onboarding and in your staff handbook.

Requesting a TechSoup hardware offer

1. Join TechSoup, which is free, and complete its validation of your organization if you have not already.
2. Request the manufacturer offer from its TechSoup listing. There is no admin fee on the Dell, HP and Lenovo programs.
3. Use the email that follows. HP’s arrives within three business days, with sign-in instructions using your organization’s email address; Dell’s contains the codes to use at checkout.
4. Buy from the manufacturer, paying them directly, and keep the order confirmation for your asset records.

Refurbished items work differently: you pay TechSoup the admin fee shown on the product, and TechSoup ships the device to your organization’s address.

Before you buy: setup and security

A new or refurbished computer is only as safe as its setup. Sign every device into your organization’s Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace account so you can manage it and wipe it if lost, turn on disk encryption, and keep passwords in a shared password manager. Record each device in an asset list, with who has it, as our internal controls template suggests, and collect it, with its charger, when someone leaves. Our data security guide covers the rest.

Donated equipment from a local company is another option, and is recorded as an in-kind donation at fair value; our list of companies that donate covers corporate giving programs. How to check any nonprofit technology offer at source is in our nonprofit software discounts guide. None of the companies here has a commercial relationship with this site, and we take no referral fees.

This is reference information, not legal or tax advice. Rules vary by state and change over time. For a decision that carries real consequences, check the current text at irs.gov or your state registry, and talk to a nonprofit attorney or CPA.